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EDITORS’ NOTES

There are deftly wielded forces of darkness and light at work on Vampire Weekend’s third record. Elegiac, alive with ideas, and coproduced by Ariel Rechtshaid, Modern Vampires of the City moves beyond the grabby, backpacking indie of its predecessors. In fact, whether through the hiccuping, distorted storm of “Diane Young” or “Unbelievers”—a sprinting guitar-pop jewel about the notion of afterlife—this is nothing less than the sound of a band making a huge but sure-footed creative leap.

EDITORS’ NOTES

There are deftly wielded forces of darkness and light at work on Vampire Weekend’s third record. Elegiac, alive with ideas, and coproduced by Ariel Rechtshaid, Modern Vampires of the City moves beyond the grabby, backpacking indie of its predecessors. In fact, whether through the hiccuping, distorted storm of “Diane Young” or “Unbelievers”—a sprinting guitar-pop jewel about the notion of afterlife—this is nothing less than the sound of a band making a huge but sure-footed creative leap.

TITLE

TIME

Obvious Bicycle

4:11

Unbelievers

3:22

Step

4:11

Diane Young

2:40

Don't Lie

3:33

Hannah Hunt

3:57

Everlasting Arms

3:03

Finger Back

3:25

Worship You

3:21

Ya Hey

5:12

Hudson

4:14

Young Lion

1:45

12 Songs, 42 Minutes

Released: May 13, 2013

℗ 2013 XL Recordings

Ratings and Reviews

4.4 out of 5

3.1K Ratings

3.1K Ratings

Ari P
,05/09/2013

Breathtaking - a true masterpiece!!

Vampire Weekend have really outdone themselves with this most recent effort. They are no longer those kids in their early 20’s writing about oxford commas. They have matured as a band and this album is as good as anything they’ve done. Their songs are no longer about youthful or mundane concepts. They have really dug deep on this latest effort - singing about regret, loss, love, and religion – the types of things adults in their late 20’s begin to think about more and more as they enter a quarter-life crisis. This is Vampire Weekend’s most clever, thought-provoking album yet. The way they blend all the songs together into a magnificent concept album is astounding. This will go down as one of the best concept albums of the 21st century, along with The Decemberists’ The Hazards of Love and Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. The album cover is a great metaphor showing how anthropogenic emissions can kill people in a similar manner as vampires – hence, acting as a “modern vampire” in this day and age. The photo was taken on the smoggiest day in New York City back in 1966. I have streamed this album 5 times now and it just keeps getting better and better with each listen! The standout tracks are Obvious Bicycle, Step, Don’t Lie, Hannah Hunt, and Ya Hey. Enjoy this masterpiece! Albums like this do not come out everyday!

Ari P
,05/09/2013

Breathtaking - a true masterpiece!!

Vampire Weekend have really outdone themselves with this most recent effort. They are no longer those kids in their early 20’s writing about oxford commas. They have matured as a band and this album is as good as anything they’ve done. Their songs are no longer about youthful or mundane concepts. They have really dug deep on this latest effort - singing about regret, loss, love, and religion – the types of things adults in their late 20’s begin to think about more and more as they enter a quarter-life crisis. This is Vampire Weekend’s most clever, thought-provoking album yet. The way they blend all the songs together into a magnificent concept album is astounding. This will go down as one of the best concept albums of the 21st century, along with The Decemberists’ The Hazards of Love and Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. The album cover is a great metaphor showing how anthropogenic emissions can kill people in a similar manner as vampires – hence, acting as a “modern vampire” in this day and age. The photo was taken on the smoggiest day in New York City back in 1966. I have streamed this album 5 times now and it just keeps getting better and better with each listen! The standout tracks are Obvious Bicycle, Step, Don’t Lie, Hannah Hunt, and Ya Hey. Enjoy this masterpiece! Albums like this do not come out everyday!

Mattthecoolguy
,03/18/2013

Awesome!

So far the four or so leaked/released tracks show that this is going to be an amazing album! I can't wait to hear the rest, especially if the ones that we have heard are this good!

Mattthecoolguy
,03/18/2013

Awesome!

So far the four or so leaked/released tracks show that this is going to be an amazing album! I can't wait to hear the rest, especially if the ones that we have heard are this good!

kmf2013
,05/08/2013

WOW

To everyone complaining that Vampire Weekend doesn't sound the same as their old stuff-that's the point! Their second album saw them maturing slightly from their first, and this one is them maturing from their second. They've spent years working on this because they wanted it to be at the level of music that they wanted their name attached to. Step is amazing, it's the kind of song you put a montage of late nights driving arounf with your friends to. Diane Young is upbeat and surfy and every time I hear it I want to dance around. I love how ghostly and melancholy Hudson and Hannah Hunt sound. Vampire Weekend has evolved, I love hearing the undertones of their old style, but I love the new vibe too! You can't ask a band to produce the same stuff over and over again, you have to let them grow as artists. And that's exactly what they've done, they've created a fantastic album with their musical genius. This album is definitely has more calming and mellow songs and I love them. This album is everything I hoped for it to be, new, innovative, and something that sounds like the guys. They put so much work into this album and I believe it paid off. I think they created something great. I think they pulled from their influences and played around with neew techniques and made something worthwhile. Once I get a physical copy of this, and not just listening to the stream, the disc won't leave my stereo for at least six months.

kmf2013
,05/08/2013

WOW

To everyone complaining that Vampire Weekend doesn't sound the same as their old stuff-that's the point! Their second album saw them maturing slightly from their first, and this one is them maturing from their second. They've spent years working on this because they wanted it to be at the level of music that they wanted their name attached to. Step is amazing, it's the kind of song you put a montage of late nights driving arounf with your friends to. Diane Young is upbeat and surfy and every time I hear it I want to dance around. I love how ghostly and melancholy Hudson and Hannah Hunt sound. Vampire Weekend has evolved, I love hearing the undertones of their old style, but I love the new vibe too! You can't ask a band to produce the same stuff over and over again, you have to let them grow as artists. And that's exactly what they've done, they've created a fantastic album with their musical genius. This album is definitely has more calming and mellow songs and I love them. This album is everything I hoped for it to be, new, innovative, and something that sounds like the guys. They put so much work into this album and I believe it paid off. I think they created something great. I think they pulled from their influences and played around with neew techniques and made something worthwhile. Once I get a physical copy of this, and not just listening to the stream, the disc won't leave my stereo for at least six months.